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E39 (1997 - 2003) The BMW 5-Series (E39 chassis) was introduced in the United States as a 1997 model year car and lasted until the 2004 when the E60 chassis was released. The United States saw several variations including the 525i, 528i, 530i and 540i. -- View the E39 Wiki

My 530i '03 just got this message yesterday, couldn't accelerate or even park it.. P, R, D nothing worked.. just coasted back or forward so had to use Ebrake. Never had a trans issue, shifts smooth as always, no warning lights.. anyone have this problem before? I see it could be fluid low, battery issue, something electrical...

Before writing this post I search the code and every post the car has the same problem as mine, take forever to accelerate. A buddy of mine says it is stuck in "limb mode" and I need a new battery. I took the car to Advance Auto Parts and tested the battery, alternator, starter and the battery was good and alternator and starter are excellent. My friend says "Of course the battery is good bc your alternator charges it but it does not have enough juice to power your car"

My tranny is in lamp mode i think stays in 3-4, it shifts/kicks hard when you put it in to Drive and Reverse, I'm thinking its low on fluid i hope to god. All the stores are closed because easter so i cant do a full change today and its my daily driver so i really need it. Can I just top off the oil with ATF?

EDIT:
And, another today:

Quote:

Originally Posted by tobesscooby

Hello guys, my 528i is in limp mode(3rd gear). Yellow gear w/exclaimation on dash, check engine light and dsc. No cruise control, no reverse lights. Just put a brand new battery in also. Obd codes thrown are.. p0600( can timeout egs1, and p 03040(camshaft position sensor intake). Peake research tool says. table 15. code 19,41,37,d9. Am in the process of checking connections. 161,000 miles on car. original everything. Other than maintence, new belts, just did the vanos seals,(fixed the idle issue). The car went into limp mode on the way home 4 months ago before any work was done to the car. Now im getting ABS, Triangle, transmission, check engine light. Did the dash test , (checks ok) Also, I have no transmission indicators on the instrument cluster. (PRND) THEY ARE GONE. I can shift the transmission into and out of gear without stepping on the brake.

Replaced and PRND is back on dash= OUT OF LIMP MODE>>!!!
Full transmission control again....

I still have DSC, ABS, Brake light lit up. but check engine light is out.

Probably the abs controller at this point....

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmorgan_260

I had a very similar problem on an e36 and it turned out to be the solenoid that locks the tranny until you step on the brake. It had come unhooked on just one side of the connector. Take the console cover off by the shifter and check the connection. With the cover off you can watch the solenoid work each time you press the brake. It sounds like yours isn't working. A little cylinder should come out and locks the shifter until you press the brake and then it withdraws. It this is not connected properly it WILL put the tranny in limp mode.

Whats up guys So i just bought this 97 BMW 540i from my buddy the car will start up fine but when i shift it into Drive(D) it will move a tiny bit and the transmission goes into fail safe mode However the car will not move when i step on the gas i will just stay in trans fail safe mode I put the car in reverse(R) and it moves back a tiny bit then trans fail safe mode...Today i jacked the car up and drained the transmission fluid it was Dark Black...Then i opened the transmission pan and there were really small metal shavings at the bottom of it then i took a look at the filter and that was really clogged up Would that be causing the fail safe mode???? What you guys think?

In the morning I started my car and put it in reverse, but the gear did not engage. I put it in drive and a warning said transmission fail safe mode. Prior to this, I had replaced a head gasket. I took it to the mechanic and looked at the transmission oil and placed it on the computer. He then said we need to replace the transmission. I didn't think there was anything wrong with the transmission. I checked the forums and people had all different answers. Some people said it could be voltage, ignition switch, battery, fuses, etc. I checked all that and it's fine.
Someone suggested to unplug the battery. I did that. Everything then became normal for about a mile. Then I put the car in park and when I put it back into drive it went back into transmission fail safe mode. Only this time, reverse works and when you switch gears from park to drive or park to reverse, it changes hard. I unplugged the battery again and everything seems to be working fine again. I think there is an underlying problem. I am looking for suggestions. It would be appreciated. Thanks so much in advance.

Pain in the ass, I had mine fixed. Bad speed censor so it would throw the car into that mode. Fixed the front speed censor and now it doesn't happen. Bad speed censor makes trans safe mode go on from time to time. Good luck I hope this helps, wish someone would have given me this advise . 475- 600 repair aprox

Hello – I thought I would chronicle my "Trans Failsafe Prog" adventure so others can see what is involved in the process. Feel free to comment or add helpful tips along the way. I am not a professional but do have much experience with many gasoline cars/trucks. If you don't like stories then scroll down to the pictures or video links.

i had the same problem on my x5 3i, trans fail safe and when i was getting close to a stop i will feel how it skip gears, all i did to fix it was turn it on press the brake real hard and play with the gears d and r while holding the brake until i heard something felt into place, dont know how else to xplain, after that everything was perfect